Latest Inner ear Stories

The hair cells of the inner ear have a previously unknown "root" extension that may allow them to communicate with nerve cells and the brain to regulate sensitivity to sound vibrations and head position.

Mutated genes in the sensory hair cells of the inner ear prevent sound waves from being converted into electrical signals- a fundamental first step in hearing. Restoring electrical signals in the sensory cells of deaf mice by introducing new genes allowed the mice to hear.

Researchers have found long-sought genes in the sensory hair cells of the inner ear that, when mutated, prevent sound waves from being converted to electric signals – a fundamental first step in hearing.

National Institutes of Health-funded researchers have identified two proteins that may be the key components of the long-sought after mechanotransduction channel in the inner ear—the place where the mechanical stimulation of sound waves is transformed into electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound.

A team of researchers says it has discovered why so many people undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially in newer high-strength machines, get vertigo, or the dizzy sensation of free-falling, while inside or when coming out of the tunnel-like machine.

The ear is an organ from the auditory system that collects sounds, and also balances and enables body position.
Formation and Orientation
The ear can be broken down into the inner and outer ears. The outer part of the ear is the visible flap (auricle) and ear canal which collects sounds which create pressure that echoes through the middle ear. The inner ear, however, is embedded in the temporal bone. There are hollow areas of the inner ear that are filled with liquids and hair cells...